An informal survey of six families revealed Mothers’ Day to be a “minor” holiday in terms of gift giving.
- All six families celebrated with a special meal
- The “mother” in all six families received gifts and cards from her children
- the ratio of handmade to store bought cards from the children was 7:5
- the ratio of handmade to store bought gifts from the children was 9:3
- The “mother” in five of the six families received gifts and cards from the “father”
- the ratio of handmade to store bought cards from the “father” was 1:4
- the ratio of handmade to store bought gifts from the “father” was 0:5
- All five of the gift giving “fathers” said they would consider the gifts they gave to be “smaller than a typical birthday or Christmas gift”
- 2 of the 6 families interacted in person or sent gifts to a “grandmother”. 3 of the remaining 4 interacted by phone or sent cards earlier in the week.
- 3 of the 6 “fathers” said they “would be a little disappointed if their Fathers’ Days went the same way as Mothers’ Day did”
Moms play such an important (and often unappreciated) role in raising children, we found this data to be a little disappointing. This is definitely an instance where we hope our small sample size is skewing the data.
To the Moms out there, we hope you had a wonderful day yesterday, and that you found your day satisfying (and hopefully not all that out of the ordinary in terms of the kindness and respect showered upon you). To the Dads, we hope that you gave the mothers of your children (and your own mothers) the kind of days you hope for yourselves.
What were your experiences this Mothers’ Day? Please share your thoughts below.